The weekly sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1887-03-31
eAPATERNAL MEAsURE.''

GA PATERNAL MEASURE"
The press of the State quite gener.
ally pronounce the recent Legislative
enactment making it misdomeanor
for North Carolina papers to publish
lottery advertisements, as an inordi-
nate stetch of power and an encroach-
ment upon the rights of a free press
that will not be tolerated. If our
Legislators can throw restrictions
around the insertion of lottery adver-
tisements they can as easily estab
fish system of espionage against the
publication of any thing derogatory
to public officials; they could with
just as much right, regulate the
charges for subscription and adver-
Using, and control the sentiments of
any paper on any public question.
The SENTINEL is certainly no apo
logist for lotteries of any description,
but it is honest in tn, belief that any
legislation which is aimee to abridge
the freedom of the press and act
as precedent for more serious
encroachments is neither right or wise
or in accordance with the constitu
ton of either State or Nation.
The follwing from the Statesville
Landmark endorsing an article in the
Piedmont Press meets our approval,
as We ars SUI ?e it will be approved by
all right-thinking people.
Says the Landmark: 1t is stated
that the Legislature passed law pro-
hibiting any newspaper from advertis-
ing lottery. As the Piedmont Press
enquiries, "Why stop there?" Why
not prohibit them advertising patent
medicines AS the Press says:
cit is well known that some of these
preparations are hurtful to the health
of the people. Moreover the compo-
sitisn of many of them are kept from
the public and the buyer does not
know what he is getting. It is not so
with the only lottery now being adver-
tised in North Carolina papsrs. Its
plans are we'll known. It do,s not
purport to give one dollar for every
dollar received. The Louisiana State
Lestery collect by the Sale of its tick
cts 100000 for each $265,O00 distri-
buted in prizes. The people who pat
ronize them know this, or they could
know it by reading their advertise
Hents.
But why stop with patent medi-
cines? Why not pass a general law
that any citizens who shall meet with
loss of money, health, or other valu-
able things by means of an advertise
ment, shall have a redress by suing
the editor for damages? But, per-
haps, in order to carry out the idea of
protecting the idiotic people against
wicked newspaper advertisements, it
would be still better to pass law
placing the supervision of the press of
the State under censors who shall de-
eide what is best to go into newspa-
per an6 what is best to be kept out.
Would not that insure the people
against being deceived by advertise
ments? They do it in Russia and
Russia is one of the greatest countries
in the world. They did it formerly
in England and who knows but it has
contributed to England's greatness %
Following up the argument of the
Press, we suggest that this law should
have been so framed as to have en-
braced newspapers printed in other
States and circulated in North Caro-
lima. 1t is true we do not see exactly
how this could be managed, but JUS
tice is justice and the law as it stands
is discrimination We adopt and
endorse the closing paragraph from
the excellent and unanswerable edi-
torial of the Press as follows:
"In the above remarks we are not
to be understood as apologists for lot
teries. Whatever appears in these
columns favorable to lotteries is paid
for as an advertisement. IF man
brings to US an advertisement of prop
erty for sale, which misrepresents the
property, we put it in. The doctrine
is caveat en,ptor 1et the buyer beware)
IF an advertiser brings to US an adver-
tisement of patent medicine, of the
composition of which we know moth
ing, we insert it for consideration
We never endorse editorially anything
that we do not approve. No amount
Of money could Induce us to do it.
But the public demands, and must be
allowed some latitude in the great bus
iaess oftaking care of itself
The Asheville Citizen and the